What a Wrap and Turn Does
A wrap and turn (often abbreviated W&T) is a technique that lets you change direction mid-row without leaving a hole in your fabric. Instead of working all the way across a row, you wrap yarn around a stitch, turn your work, and knit back the other direction. This creates a gradual slope or curve in your knitting—useful for shaping sock heels, sweater necklines, and the curved edges of shawls.
The wrap prevents the gap that would normally appear when you turn. Without it, you'd see a visible hole where the yarn jumped from one side of the stitch to the other. The wrap sits right at the turning point and gets knitted together with its stitch on the way back, closing that gap completely.
Key Takeaways
- A wrap and turn involves bringing yarn to the front, slipping a stitch, turning your work, and then knitting that stitch together with its wrap on the next row.
- The wrap must be placed on the same side of the stitch where you'll be working next, or you'll create a hole instead of closing one.
- On the return row, you pick up the wrap and knit it together with its stitch as a single unit to find it.
- Practice the motion slowly on a swatch before using it in a project, because the timing of the turn matters more than speed.
The Basic Wrap and Turn on a Knit Row
Start with your yarn in working position (ready to knit). Work across the row until you reach the stitch where you want to turn. Let's say you're turning at stitch 10 of a 20-stitch row.
When you reach that turning stitch, bring your yarn to the front of your work (between the needles). Slip the next stitch purlwise onto your right needle without knitting it—just move it over as if you were going to purl. Now bring your yarn to the back of your work again. Turn your work around so the other side faces you. The stitch you just slipped now has yarn wrapped around its base on the side facing you.
You have now completed one wrap and turn. The wrapped stitch stays on your needle, and you're ready to knit back across the row in the opposite direction. When you reach this stitch again on your next row, you'll pick up that wrap and knit it together with the stitch itself.
The Basic Wrap and Turn on a Purl Row
The motion is nearly identical on a purl row, with one direction change. Work across the row in purl until you reach your turning stitch. Bring your yarn to the back of your work (between the needles). Slip the next stitch purlwise onto your right needle. Bring your yarn to the front again. Turn your work.
Again, the stitch now has yarn wrapped around its base on the side facing you. On your next row, when you encounter this stitch, you'll pick up the wrap and purl it together with the stitch.
Picking Up and Knitting the Wrap
When you work back toward your wrapped stitches, you'll eventually reach one. The wrap sits visibly around the base of the stitch on the side of the fabric facing you. Using the tip of your left needle, pick up the wrap from underneath—slide your needle under it so it sits on your left needle alongside its stitch.
Now knit (or purl, depending on your row) the wrap and the stitch together as one unit. Insert your right needle through both the wrap and the stitch, and complete the knit or purl stitch normally. This closes the wrap into the fabric and secures the turning point.
If you're working in stockinette stitch and turning multiple times in the same area (as in a heel), you may have several wrapped stitches in a row. Pick up and knit each wrap with its stitch as you encounter them.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
The most frequent error is wrapping on the wrong side of the stitch. If you bring yarn to the front, slip the stitch, and turn without bringing yarn to the back first, the wrap ends up on the back of your work instead of the front. When you return to that stitch, you won't see the wrap to pick it up, and you'll create a hole. Always complete the yarn movement before you turn: front-slip-back-turn on a knit row, back-slip-front-turn on a purl row.
Another common problem is forgetting to pick up the wrap on the return pass. If you knit the stitch without its wrap, you'll see a small hole at that spot. The wrap must be picked up and knitted together with its stitch, not left behind.
Some knitters accidentally knit the wrap and stitch as two separate stitches instead of one. This creates an extra stitch and throws off your stitch count. Treat the wrap and stitch as a single unit from the moment you pick up the wrap.
Using Wrap and Turn in a Real Project
Wrap and turn appears most often in heel construction for socks. A typical heel might ask you to work 12 stitches, wrap and turn, work 10 stitches, wrap and turn, work 8 stitches, wrap and turn, and so on. Each time you wrap and turn, you're working fewer stitches, creating a wedge shape that cups the heel.
The same technique shapes the back of a neck on a top-down sweater. Instead of binding off stitches to create the neckline, you wrap and turn at progressively wider points, creating a smooth curve instead of a stepped edge.
Shawl patterns often use wrap and turn to create the curved sections that make a shawl lie flat. The pattern will tell you exactly where to wrap and turn, and how many times. Follow the pattern's instructions for stitch counts, because the math depends on knowing where each turn happens.
Practicing on a Swatch
Before using wrap and turn in a project, knit a small swatch and practice the technique. Cast on 20 stitches in a worsted-weight yarn on size 8 needles—something thick enough that you can see what you're doing. Knit a few rows in stockinette stitch to establish a baseline.
On the next knit row, work 10 stitches, then wrap and turn at stitch 11. Purl back 10 stitches. On the next knit row, work 10 stitches again, wrap and turn at stitch 11 again. Purl back. Repeat this five or six times so you have multiple wrapped stitches in a column. Then go back and pick up all the wraps and knit them with their stitches. Look at the result: you should see a clean vertical line with no holes.
If you see holes, check whether you wrapped on the correct side. If you see extra stitches, you may have knitted the wrap and stitch as two separate stitches. Practice until the motion feels automatic, then move to your actual project.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I forget to wrap before I turn?
You'll create a hole at that spot. The wrap is what closes the gap. If you turn without wrapping, the yarn jumps across empty space and leaves a visible hole. You can sometimes fix this after the fact by picking up the hole with a crochet hook and closing it, but it's easier to wrap before every turn.
Can I wrap and turn on ribbed fabric?
Yes, but you need to pay attention to whether the stitch you're wrapping is a knit or a purl. If it's a knit stitch, follow the knit row instructions. If it's a purl stitch, follow the purl row instructions. The wrap must go on the side of the fabric that's facing you, regardless of the stitch type.
Do I count the wrapped stitch as a stitch I've worked?
No. When you wrap and turn, you slip the stitch without knitting it. That stitch doesn't count toward the stitches you've worked on that row. If a pattern says "work 10 stitches, wrap and turn," you knit 10 stitches, then wrap and turn at the 11th stitch without knitting it.
What if I can't see the wrap when I come back to it?
The wrap should be visible on the side of the fabric facing you. If you can't see it, you likely wrapped on the wrong side. Check your yarn movements: on a knit row, yarn should go front-slip-back before you turn. On a purl row, yarn should go back-slip-front. If the wrap is truly missing, you may have to unknit back to that point and redo the wrap and turn.
Can I wrap and turn multiple times at the same stitch?
Yes. In heel construction, you often wrap and turn at the same stitch several times as you work back and forth. Each time you turn at that stitch, you add another wrap. When you pick them up on the return pass, you'll have multiple wraps around the same stitch. Pick them all up together and knit them as one unit with the stitch.